1. Field of the Invention
A shoe sole construction includes a sole member formed from a synthetic plastic material having a first durometer value of hardness, said sole member including toe, ball, arch, and heel portions. Relatively rigid toe and heel plates are secured to the bottom surface of the sole on opposite sides of a relatively soft flex bar member that extends transversely across the ball portion of the sole member. A plurality of toe cushion members are mounted for independent movement within openings contained in the toe plate, and a stabilizing arch cushion member is mounted in the recess defined in the heel plate. These cushion members are arranged in a footprint pattern and have an intermediate durometer value that permits compression of these cushion members during use.
2. Description of Related Art
Various proposals have been offered in the shoe sole construction art for improving the walking capability of the user, as for example, a young child learning to walk. In the prior Schumacher et al U.S. Pat. No. 5,465,507, which was assigned to the same assignee as the present invention, a sole construction was disclosed including a single rigid stabilizing plate that extended completely across the entire bottom surfaces of the sole from the heel to the toe portions thereof.
The present invention was developed to provide an improved shoe that affords greater flexibility during use without any undesirable side-to-side torque.